Shipman Beach Trail (Hāmākua Coast, East Hawaiʻi)
The Shipman Beach Trail is one of the most rewarding coastal hikes on the east side of the Big Island, and the reason is simple: Shipman Beach itself. This is a long, wild, and largely untouched stretch of shoreline that can only be reached on foot, and that isolation is exactly what makes it special.
Overview
If the idea of mud or a long inland trail doesn’t appeal to you, there is an alternative way to experience this coastline. You can hike along the shoreline itself, rather than using the designated inland trail. This coastal route allows you to walk beside the ocean over lava rock and rough terrain, avoiding much of the mud. You won’t be able to reach Shipman Beach itself this way, but the shoreline hike is still beautiful and delivers many of the same dramatic views and sense of exposure to the coast.
The surrounding Hāmākua coastline reinforces the experience. This is one of the wettest, greenest, and most dramatic parts of the island, with steep gulches, seasonal waterfalls, and a raw shoreline shaped by constant surf. Whether you complete the full hike to Shipman Beach or opt for a partial coastal walk, the environment feels powerful and untamed.
Shipman Beach Trail isn’t for everyone. It’s too long for a quick stop, and the reward isn’t comfort or swimming. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, the payoff is one of the most remote and atmospheric beaches accessible on foot anywhere on the Big Island.
For people who value isolation, scale, and the feeling of reaching a place most visitors never see, Shipman Beach is absolutely worth the hike.
The standard route is an out-and-back hike of roughly six miles round trip, descending from former plantation land through dense greenery toward the coast. You lose elevation on the way in and gain it back on the return, which makes the hike more demanding than the mileage alone suggests. The trail can be muddy and slick, especially after rain, which is common on the Hāmākua coast. Good footwear is essential.
The payoff comes when the forest finally opens and you step onto Shipman Beach, a wide, dramatic stretch of dark sand backed by cliffs and dense vegetation. There are no facilities, no development, and almost no people. This is not a beach you stumble onto; you earn it. On most days, it feels completely removed from the rest of the island.
Swimming here is generally not recommended. The surf can be powerful, and currents are strong. Like many east-side beaches, Shipman is best experienced visually, walking the shoreline, taking in the scale of the coast, and listening to the waves crash against an otherwise empty landscape.